END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (57 page)

We have not found any information on the sixth ship or why its been just sitting at the station for over a cycle now. We're still working on that one. The blockades surrounding it are twisted among accounts that lead back to deceased members of TransCo's board of directors. We found a manually triggered com message that Boss King had been sending out everyday. The ship at Lexon Station is receiving the message. No reply is sent to acknowledge the message. We're still reading the data, there is a lot in the files that is pure junk, but to find the good we have to look through the bad. Sometimes the bad becomes good once we find the clues to what is really there. We found one entire vid that appears to be nothing more than a pervert attacking a young female, but hidden under the vid there was a list of all the drug dealers selling Lustor on three planets.

We have had that yacht in our hanger for sometime now and that message hasn't been sent. I'll need to talk to Boss King to find out what the message is for
and what happens if it isn't sent out on time.”

“Make sure you take a Healer with you to give him a shot of that truth drug Tiaz taught you about and a few of the Special Troops so he can't overpower you
and get loose on the ship.” Jon instructed the Data Master. “Anything else?”

“Yes sir there is. If Tiaz is staying on the ship, I'd like to have her assigned to us. She has been a big help in getting past blockades
and encrypted files.”

“I'll see what can be done. She has a job already with the Order of Mourners.” Jon told him. “I'll ask her personally though and see if she agrees.”

Leaving the data room with a disk containing all the current information on the two remaining ships with the city killer weapons, Jon turned to Satrina and
told her, “I have to go up to the Command Bridge. Come with me?” he asked her. “I want the crew to get used to seeing us together. At some point you'll
have as much authority on this ship as I do. As my mate, you already own half of it and everything else that carries my name. They need to understand that
I will be trusting you to lead them just as they trust me now.”

“If that is your wish, then I will go and meet your crew, Admiral.” She teased as she came to attention before placing a tiny fist to her chest and bowing
to him. Jon responded by lifting her up and kissing her passionately.

“I love you my tiny tigress” Jon whispered in her ear. “If you like it we can use that as your call sign.”

“I love you back my giant. Tiny tigress is much better than Bar-rat. I'll wear my new call sign with pride.” she whispered to him and kissed him again. The
taste of him spread through her and filled her senses to overflowing. Soon she would open her womb to his seed and let his child grow within her. With
every union between them, it was getting more and more difficult for her to remain closed. She wanted his offspring nearly as much as she wanted him to
give them to her. She had already made up her mind that once her father and brother were both back on Lexon II, she would open herself to her giant. Then
if he wanted to stay here on this city of a ship, she would raise their offspring here also. Wherever he was, that is where she wanted to be also.

Turning a corner, they walked onto the command bridge. The flurry of activity concerned Jon. Things up here were usually handled in a much calmer way, but
this scene was more akin to an anthill that had been kicked apart than his ship's bridge. Reaching out to stop the first person that hurried past Jon
asked, “What's going on?”

“Data just sent up the results of a long range scan. It looks like we're going to have company soon. Six ships will be coming out of the slip just a few
sectors from us. We are busy preparing the ship in case we are forced into battle.”

“Can you show me on the holo?” Jon asked.

“The Commander has it up now sir, just go to the table and you'll see.”

“Thanks.” He released the man to continue with whatever he was hurrying off to accomplish. “Rina, come with me, I'll show you another of Leviathan's
miracles.” Taking Satrina over to the command table, Jon showed her the holoimage of the space around them. Coming in from one corner somewhere below them
were six very large, very fast moving ships.

“Defenses active.” Jon ordered. “Don't kill anyone. Let's just see what they want, we did kidnap their King and the Prince. Use that beam you showed me that shuts everything down on their ships if they start shooting. Then change our ident signal and jump away from here. Give me five good jumps each under a different signal. Then turn the signal off and jump three more times. We have to work our way back to Lexon II to drop the Royals off anyway.”

Several levels down, the Data Master had just finished with Boss King. They had to use far more than the recommended amount of the truth drug on him before
he finally told them of his insurance policy. The ship in orbit around Lexon II had orders to bomb the King's Palace if his signal did not transmit twice a
day, everyday except when it was in the slipway. That gave Jon exactly three hours before the first signal was due considering the slip time from where
they had picked up Boss King and his return to Lexon II. Add two more days if he was heading for Haven. They had not managed to find out his planned
destination before the drugs turned the male's brain to mush.

He was nothing more than a vegetable now and would never recover. The kindest thing to do would be to shoot him and end his misery. A part of his mind would always function and be aware of what had happened to him, but the rest of his brain was destroyed and his body could not respond to his mind's commands. His life now would be far worse than the lives of the countless females he had gotten hooked on the Lustor Drug. At least they had a chance for recovery even though the temptation would always be with them to use the drug again. The was no recovery now for Boss King.

The guards took Boss King back to the room where his offspring and the Regent were being held and tossed what was left of the once ruthless male inside and then they
locked the door sealing him in with them. The first thing that happened as he lay on the floor was that his bladder emptied causing a large wet spot to appear on the front of his expensive coverings.

“Well, that takes care of that problem.” the Regent said with a grin. “He won't be telling anybody anything.”

“No, he won't, but that don't mean I won't. Unless of course you want to make a deal with me.” Helios King told the Regent.

“I don't need you for anything youngling. Not when over a third of the Palace Guard and another third of the Peacekeeper's Command are already in my pay.” The
Regent leaned back against a wall and grinned down at the now ruined Devilous King. “This is going much better than I ever planned. Soon I'll have both the
throne and the Princess to do with as I please.”

“That's what you think. Father put everything in my name so nothing could lead back to him in case you ever decided to double cross him. Guess whose name its
all in now? Oh yeah and then there is a stash of data I have on all your schemes and tricks. It’s a nasty thing to plot the takeover of the Lexon throne. Is it still
the only crime on Lexon II punished by death?” Helios sneered at the Regent. “I want the same deal you gave father plus a nice fat reward for bringing him
to justice or I release the information that you own the biggest Lustor producing farm in the galaxy. I'll hang on to the evidence of treason until
I really need it once you’re the King.”

What neither of the males locked up in a special cabin knew was that their every word and action was still being recorded and the case against them both
kept growing. Once alerted to a file containing information on the Regents corruption, teams from the Data Center's Special unit went to work searching
through everything they could find among the records of Helios King. The foolish youth had not covered his tracks very well. In under an hour the Data
teams had broken into his private accounts and knew all about the Regents schemes to takeover the Lexonian throne going as far back as his part in having
his own sister expelled from the Palace.

The King and Gala finally found their way to the command bridge and stood in the entry, spell bound by the flurry of activity in front of them. Every
person not already working at one of the stations rushed from station to station, updating information and issuing orders. The King's gaze traveled over
the bridge and he took it all in. The solid walls of computer banks and screens, the large view screen directly in front of him and the command table in
the center of it all with Jon Connell standing there gazing at something and issuing orders like a true leader of men should. Satrina stood by his side and
she also was absorbed by whatever the table was showing them. Carefully walking over to them he remained quiet and listened as Jon said,

“This could end badly. The Data Section just uncovered that the Regent has at least four Peacekeeper Generals in his pocket. The Generals never show up if
a battle is planned. They stay back at their headquarters and order other troops in to die.”

“What will you do Jon?” Satrina asked. “If they are only acting under the orders of one of my uncle's corrupt men, they are innocent of everything except
being good Warriors.”

“I know. If they were acting on their own or as pirates, it would be easy. Leviathan would simply brush them away like the sand flies they are. However,
until I have more information I must wait and see why four ships that appear to be battle cruisers are approaching us when they're not supposed to be able
to lock onto this ship's ident.

“Its not Leviathan's ident signal sir,” the Data Master informed him as he walked onto the bridge. “It’s coming from the Yacht we captured. Another of that
ships defense systems in the case of trouble. We must have missed it when we swept the ship and pulled its data. We've shut it down and the three others we
found. If it has any more, our best plan is to have it fly itself into a nearby sun.”

“Maybe I'll send a couple of passengers along with it.” Jon muttered through his anger. That strange, smoky image of a dragon slowly started to appear at
his back and Satrina lightly touched his arm to calm him. Much to the surprise of the King who had never seen the image before, the image faded as soon as
Jon felt her touch.

“Thanks Data, what else brought you to the bridge?” Satrina calmly asked.

“Ma'am, we found out about that ship in orbit around Lexon II. Its been receiving a signal from the yacht for days, but once that signal stopped, it had
orders to attack the Palace. Estimates say we have less than three hours to stop it.”

“Nav!” Jon yelled, “Plot course to Lexon II. Jump us in close this time. We can't afford to play nice with these pirates or the foolishness of the news
about Warships near Lexon II! Touching his COM badge Jon called out “Jackal, mount up, full fighter and attack shuttle launches when we come out of jump.
I'll send you the info on your target. It’s another of the TransCo city killers. This one is on a cargo ship and pointed at the Palace.”

“I'm on it Admiral.” came the reply from Jarrieal. “Oh, Admiral, Little Prik wants to know if he can go play with the pirates?”

“If the Healers says its OK, let him go. Make sure you get him fitted for proper armor. I will not have him getting himself killed again!” Jon kidded,
knowing full well that his friend could hear him.

“He will not be harmed Admiral.” Jelio commed. Looking down at Satrina, Jon shrugged.

“I think my brother may have a mate.” she remarked.

“Well, it's about time.” the King declared so only his sister could hear. “Maybe he'll stop running off to be a warrior and stay home to be the Prince.”

“We're being commed sir.” Jon was told. “Says he is the Admiral of the Peacekeeper task force that just exited the slip.”

"How soon before they are in range?" Jon asked.

“Let me handle this, son.” the King told Jon. Seeing the King on the bridge for the first time, Jon nodded to him and stepped away from the command table.
“Can they hear me?” he asked.

“Yes Sire, just speak naturally and they will hear you.” Jon told him as the Peacekeeper battle cruisers became larger on the screen.

“This is King Le'puix of the Lexonian Confederation. On whose authority are you here?”

“We are on orders from the Admiralty. If that really is the King, we are here to rescue you from the pirates that swept in and kidnapped you from the
Palace.” A voice on the COM told him. “Are you in command of that ship?”

“No. This ship is not under my command. I am a welcomed guest on it.” Looking over at Jon and Satrina he winked at them before continuing, “This ship is
under the command of Princess Satrina and her mate!”

“Sire, that is not possible, her body was identified among the dead at Sanctuary.”

“Would you like to speak with her dead body Commander?” the King asked. “Cause it's standing right here beside me.”

“Sire, how can we be sure what you say is true? General Nykeus ordered us to rescue you and then to blow that ghost ship out of space.”

“I've been given a tour of this ghost ship son. If you try to attack it your entire force will be converted to debris and scrap metals floating in space.
I've love to stay and chat son, but my Palace is about to be attacked, so I must be going.” The King cut off the coms before looking over at Jon and
admitting, “You're right. My brother has his hands around the throat of our realm. Go and do what must be done to save my house Admiral-General Connell.”

“ Nav?” Jon called out.

“Ready sir, jump in 3,2,1, JUMPING NOW!”

No matter how many ways living beings find to twist the laws of physics with their FTL drives, some things can not be changed. Two objects still cannot
occupy the same space at the same time. When Leviathan suddenly jumped into the Lexon II system she came very close to slamming a passenger liner out of
orbit and into Lexon II's atmosphere. Then when her drives fired to push her toward her target, she did push the liner out of her way like a fat lady at a
bargain sale pushes her way to a dress that is three sizes to small for her to wear.